We are delighted to announce that we have signed two new books in Angela Ranson’s Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series: exciting historical thrillers set at the court of Elizabeth I.
Here, Angela tells us more about the series and what to expect from the latest instalments:
“I started working with Sapere Books in March 2022, when I was named as a runner-up in their first writing competition. From the very first, the people at Sapere have brought light and positivity to my writing life. They have offered real help and support, and their editing process has improved my writing enormously. Sapere has helped me understand and appreciate the many stages of writing a book.
“Or, as it has turned out, a series of books. We started out with three Catrin Surovell Tudor mysteries, and then it grew to five, and just last month it grew to seven. I was so excited to receive the latest contracts and know that I could continue to explore the character of Lady Catrin, Countess of Ashbourne and favoured lady of the bedchamber for Queen Elizabeth I. Lady Catrin is a clever and courageous woman in a dangerous world — much as Elizabeth’s real ladies of the bedchamber would have been. It was not all music, gossip, fine clothes and embroidery for these women, despite the way they are portrayed in modern movies. In real life, they had difficult battles to fight.
“Thus far, Lady Catrin has remained close to her queen at court. She has battled many villains who have tried to remove Elizabeth from her throne, or destroy the reforms the queen has put in place. She has fought against religious zealots, royal traitors and court conspirators, all with the help of her close friend Lady Lucy and a collection of people as dedicated to the queen’s service as she is. In the fourth book, Grave Merriment (which will be released in March 2026), Lady Catrin will battle two villains, each with a specific goal but one area of common ground: the desire to destroy all the queen holds dear, at the most festive time of the year.
“It is important to me that Lady Catrin’s adventures could have happened and that Lady Catrin herself could have investigated and unmasked the villains. I try very hard not to change history or give Lady Catrin more power than she would have had. I do, however, often answer historical questions that have never been answered, or create fictional scenarios that take place in parallel with a known event. That is why the fifth book in the series will focus on an event that never took place: a meeting between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. This meeting has been included in many fictional accounts of these two queens. Usually, the wise queen of England grows frustrated with how the reckless and impulsive Queen of Scots always ‘feeds her with fair words’ that mean nothing.
“Instead of following this trend, the fifth Catrin Surovell mystery will follow history more closely, and focus instead on why that meeting didn’t happen. Lady Catrin will be the one who learns the secret that keeps these ‘fair cousins’ apart … just in time to save their lives.”
Grave Merriment is available to pre-order now.
Visit Angela’s website to stay up to date with her news and latest releases.
We are delighted to announce that we have signed the ‘Anne Boleyn Chronicles’ by Rozsa Gaston.
Rozsa is the author of the Anne of Brittany series — an enthralling historical series set during the French Renaissance.
In Rozsa’s words:
“My new series tells the tale of Anne Boleyn’s years abroad before joining Henry VIII’s Tudor court. Set in the years 1513–1522, the story begins in the Netherlands at Margaret of Austria’s Burgundian-Habsburg imperial court.
“We see Anne grow from girlhood to womanhood as one of Margaret’s eighteen maids of honour. Facing the challenges of cliques and envy, she navigates court life by learning to fit in even as she longs to stand out.
“We then follow Anne to France, where she serves first Mary Tudor, then French queen, Claude of France, and finally, the French king’s sister, Marguerite d’Angoulême.
“After six years in France, Anne attends the summit of the Field of the Cloth of Gold where she realises the advantages that might await her at the Tudor court as an Englishwoman with French sensibilities. The series culminates in Anne’s return to England in the first months of 1522, fully armed with Continental flair, Reformist ideals, and a drive for self-determination fuelled by the new learning of Renaissance humanism.
“I am delighted to work with Sapere Books, with their strong commitment to historical fiction and historical biography. The team comes highly recommended for their personal touch, and I look forward to working with them to bring to readers Anne Boleyn’s formative years in a series that both informs and entertains.”
Congratulations to Adele Jordan, whose captivating espionage adventure, Death At The Tower, is published today!
Death At The Tower is the second book in the Shadow Cutpurses Tudor Thriller Series: gripping adventures set during King Henry VIII’s reign in England with a strong female lead.
1536, London
Thief Gwynnie Wightham has a new master in Elric Tombstone. She may follow his word, but she has little loyalty for him, and there is even less friendship between them.
She has agreed to assist him to make sure he keeps his word to never go hunting for her mother. For if Emlyn is ever found, she will be tried not just for being a jewel thief, but for murder.
Tombstone’s task for Gwynnie is to investigate Captain Daundelyon, for there has been a tipoff that the Dandy Lyon, as he’s nicknamed, is a French spy, come to ingratiate himself with the king.
Gwynnie follows Captain Daundelyon around, noticing he’s a common thief, almost as skilled as her in her deception, but she finds no hint of his spy work.
But the Tudor court is cracking into factions – a great rift has swelled between King Henry and Queen Anne Boleyn, and what she does find is that Daundelyon’s presence is inextricably linked with Queen Anne’s downfall.
What is Daundelyon’s relationship to Anne Boleyn? Is he plotting against the king?
And can Gwynnie prove her worth and find a way to clear her mother’s name…?
Congratulations to Amy Licence, whose page-turning Tudor drama, Troubled Queen, is published today!
Troubled Queen is the second book in the Marwood Family Tudor Saga Series.
1528
Escaping from her family’s scandalous involvement with Anne Boleyn’s circle, Thomasin Marwood is beginning a new life in the service of Queen Catherine of Aragon.
Thomasin is trying to forget Rafe Danvers, the man who stole her heart and then betrayed her, and when a group of Venetians arrive at court, she is drawn to the sophisticated Nico.
But a great danger is lurking. The dreaded sweating sickness has returned, which claimed the life of Catherine’s first husband, Prince Arthur, many years ago.
Catherine and her ladies are forced to flee, and their shared isolation with King Henry brings the couple closer again.
But Anne Boleyn will not let herself be forgotten.
Thomasin finds herself torn between new friends and old loyalties as Rafe comes back into her life.
Who will win Thomasin’s heart? Will she survive the dreaded sickness?
And will Anne Boleyn become victorious in her quest for the throne?
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a new dual timeline series set in the modern day and Tudor times by Phillipa Vincent-Connolly.
Told in authentic detail, the four-book series explores the intrigue and plots within King Henry VIII’s court. The books include ingenious twists on Boleyn family history, retold through a twenty-first-century history student’s eyes. The first instalment will be published later this year.
In Phillipa’s words:
“It’s very exciting to be working with Sapere Books on my first historical fiction series. The series is very special to me, as it includes appearances from some friends and colleagues of mine, who are featured as cameo characters from the modern day, with the history of the Tudor period also wound through, creating an exciting retelling of Anne Boleyn’s story. The narrative moves between the present day and the middle of Henry VIII’s reign.
“Set in South London and Queen Mary University of London, the first book follows an enthusiastic history undergraduate called Beth Wickers, who gets the shock of her life when her professor’s gold cypher ring opens up a mysterious portal that takes her to Tudor England and Hever Castle, where she becomes an integral part of Anne Boleyn’s life. She’s been warned not to meddle or risk changing history, but can she allow her dear friend to go on to become the second wife of King Henry VIII and to meet a horrific death? Can Beth save herself from the machinations of the Tudor Court, or will she meet the same fate as the queen to be? Only the ring has the answer.”
Amy Durant, publishing director of Sapere Books, commented: “I am thrilled to be working with Phillipa on these books, which breathe new life into the Tudor period. We are sure our readers are going to love the series!”
